The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-04-27

quent tribute to the memory of South Car
ollna's greatest son. The following are
few of the points of the Grafton:
We are assembled to unveil the statue which
mas been erected to commemorate the life and
services of John Caldwell Calhoun. 1t is an in
teresting fact that this statue is reared, not in
the centre OF political power (the capital of the
nation), or in the emporiumt of American mate
rial civilization, but in his own native State,
where he lived all his life and was buried. This
circumstance is in harmony with the life and
character OF the man. One of the most impress
slve traits of that life and character was the at
tachment between himself and the people of
South Carolina.
When not in the actual discharge of his Of
fetal duties he spent his time in retirement at
his private home at Fort Hill. He was occupied
in agriculture, i'll which he took the deepest in
terest. Would that had the power to portray
southern planters home! The sweet and
noble associations, the pure, refining, and ele-
waiting atmosphere of a household presided over
by Southern lnatron; the abode of domestic
joys and duties; the peaceful yet active life of
large land owner-occupation full of interest
and high moral responsibilities; the alliance be-
tween mans intellect and natures laws of pro-
duction; the hospitality, heartfelt, simple and
generous. The Southern planter was far from
being the self-mdulgent, indolent, coarse and
overbealing person that he has sometimes been
pictured He was, in general, careful patient,
provident, Industrious, forbearing, and yet firm
and determined
MI. CALHoUN's POLITICAL PRINCIPLES.
AIucr giving condensed statement OF Mr..
Calhouny early life and education the orator
took him up at the time of his entrance into
Congress at the age of y, on the eve of the war
of 1912. and described his political principles:
He rejected alike, said Mr.. Lamar, the dogma
of the sovereignty of monarchieS and aristocra-
cies on the one hand, and on the other the shall
low fiction of the social contract as the founda
ton of government. He asserted boldly that
society and government both were of Divine
ordination; that the Supreme Creator and Ruler
OF all had in his infinite wisdom assigned to
man the social and political state as the best
adapted to the development Of the moral and
intellectual faculties and capacities
with which he had endowed him. The
fundamental principles of government-he
found in the wants and feelings and tendencies
of man, wrought there by the hand of God
which, in their development, assumed the at
tributes and functions of formal governments
The external forms and organizations designed
to prevent the tendency of government to dis
order and injustice, called constitutions, the
contrivances of men, who are left to perfect by
| their reason and free will the government that
the Infinite has ordained, Just as He created
the material laws of the earth, and left man to
impress it with his own personality The right
to prescribe these constitutions and TO coerce
society into submission TO them is sovereignty
That power in a nation which holds this SUI
preme authority in the last resort, from
which there is no appeal to a higher
power, is the sovereign power of that nation.
MR., cALHouN's EARLY PROMINENCE
Mr.. Clay has more than once declared that in
no Congress of which he had knowledge has
there been assembled such galaxy of eminent
and able men as were in the House of Repre-
sentatives of the Congress which declared war
against England in 1912 and the one following it,
Mr.. Calhoun was elected to that Congress at
the age of "a years. He had been admitted to
the bar only two years before. Yet this I'M
known young man, this obscure attorney from
an obscure country village, stranger to ele-
CANT accomplishments and graces of scholar
ship. before he had made a speech took his
place st the head of those distinguished
and brilliant men, as their equal and their
superior, and maintained it with increasing
power and overwhelming fame to the end In
the light of after events the cause OF this extra
ordinary circumstance could be easily discerned.
In the presence of a great impending crisis full
Of solemn import to men of sense and virtue,
whose extent the most far-Sighted cannot fully
measure, and before whose dangers the most
resoute naturally quail; when the voice of fac
ton is huShed and rivalries and animosties
cease; in such q crisis demanding immediate
action, mastery and leadership go of their own
accord to the master spirit, to the man of trans
cendent intellect bravery of soul, promptness
of decision, energy of action, all strengthened,
sustained and vivifed by an ardent and disin-
terested patriotism.
DISUNION AND QUALIFICATION.
Mr. Lamar pointed out that Mr. Cal
houns speeches breathed the strongest senti-
ment of devotion to the Union In a speech
from which l have quoted, said Mr. Lamar:
He said that, in his opinion, the liberty and the
union of this country were inseparably united;
that as the destruction OF the latter would most
certainly involve the former, so its maintenance
will, with equal certainty, preserve it.
In explanation of Mr.. Calhoun's position
on South Cardinals notification act Mr.
Lamar quoted from one of Mr.. Cnlhoun's
speeches as follows:
Qualification leaves the members of the asso-
"cation or Union in the condition il found them
subject to ali its burdens, and entitled to all
Its advantages, comprehending the member
"nullifyng well as the others-ts object
being not to destroy but to preserve, as has
"been stated Secession. on the con-
"trary, destroys, far as the withdrawing
member is concerned, the association or union.
"* Such are clearly the differences be-
tween them: differences so marked that, in
''stead of being identical, as supposed, they
form a contrast in all the aspects in which
they can be regarded.
Whatever NAV be the objections to this doc
tline it must be admitted that it had not in it
one element Of disuniOn. II might have proved
cumbrous and obstructive in the operations of
the government; it might have impaired its
promptness and vigor and energy of action, and
probably would: but had it been recognized and
acted upon by the Federal government il would
have ever prevented a resort to secession on the
one hand. or a resort to force on the other But
the right was not recognized; it was denied and
infiexibly opposed by the general government,
which assumed to impose its own construction
of the constitution, against that of the States,
by force.
ALONE.
1t was while the notification excitement was
at it's height that Mr.. Calhoun resigned the
office of Vice President and took his seat IN the
Senate In the place of Gen. Robert Y. Hayne,
who had been chosen Governor Of the State. A
few days after nc took his seat President Jack.
son sent q message 10 Congress transmitting
the ordinance of notification with his own proc
lanatiou, and recommending the passage OF
measures which would enable him 10 compel by
the use Of military force, the obedience and sub
mission OF the States.
IL was upon the occasion Of this message and
the force bill, WHICH became law during that
session that the great debate took place be-
tween Mr. Webster and Mr. Calhoun, memora-
be for the ability and cloqucnce displayed, the
eminent character Of the two great champions
Of the hostile theories, and the magnitude Of the
questions involved. Up to the dime that Mr.
Calhoun took his stand for what be deemed was
the cause Of the Constitution and the Union, as
well az the liberty and the interest of the people
of his own state national hOnors and distinc-
tiOns and popular applause seemed 20 have
sought him ont aud crowded his path through
public life He had up 10 that moment been
regarded as the most renowned and shining
character among living American
statesmen, aud next 20 Jackson.
the most popular. He was but one step from
the Presidency and was regarded as the heir
apparent Of President Jackson, who, II was IN
dci1tood. would serve but one term. To my
mind there is nothing connected with Mr. Cal
houns lifc 80 fraught with touching paihos. 10
characteristic ol the grand 30iil Of the man A.
place in the United States Senate. lie haw nil
Of